1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine-equipped player tracking apparatus and gaming machine and control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, slot machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,133, U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,983 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,102, for example. In these slot machines, games can be played by inserting a variety of gaming media, such as coins or cashes, into the slot machines. In addition, each slot machine is devised to pay out a payment in accordance with the state of a winning prize established with the progress of a game (the result of the game).
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,478 discloses a money exchange system for performing settlement in a coin-free manner. This system is conventionally implemented by movement between gaming machines or money exchange with the use of barcode-attached paper tickets in place of the mode of using coins as money in games, or alternatively, using tokens instead of coins.
However, in slot machines in which a payment is awarded to a player with the use of paper tickets, such printed paper tickers could be contaminated or broken by the player.
On the other hand, in recent years, the prevalence of IC cards has been remarkable, and non-contact type IC cards have been prevalent together with the latest lower price of RFID, in place of the originally introduced contact-type IC cards where electrical contacts exist.
Therefore, it is contemplated that a problem associated with ticket breakage which may accidentally occur with the use of paper tickets can be solved by making IC cards available for movement between gaming machines in casino or money exchange.
In the case where an IC card are employed in place of paper tickets, it is contemplated that there should be an approach of stocking IC cards in gaming machines, allowing the IC card to store credits awarded to a player in accordance with the results of games, and then, returning the IC card to the player from a card slot.
The player can use the returned IC card after moving it to another gaming machine, and if the balance of credits of the IC card becomes 0 in accordance with the results of games at the gaming machine, this IC card does not need to be returned to the player, and is stocked in the gaming machine.
On the other hand, it is also contemplated that there should be a system devised such that, with player-specific identification information being stored in an IC card, a player possesses and utilizes this IC card as the player-specific IC card, thereby identifying the player at a terminal device having this IC card inserted thereinto. As system of this type, for example, in a PTS (Player Tracking System), it is known that, when a player card for identifying a player is inserted, information such as the balance of an account of the player is displayed.
However, the above-described IC cards employed in place of the conventional coins or tokens are not tailored for specific players, and are reused without specifying players, so that they cannot store player-specific identification information or the like.
In casino, it is contemplated that, if specific useful information can be provided to each player, more added-values are obtained, increasing the ability to pull in more players; and thus, there is a need for a method for specifying a player.
Therefore, in the case where an IC card is employed in place of coins or tokens, as a method of identifying a player, it is contemplated that there should be a method of picking up the face of the player as an image by employing a camera or the like, and based on the picked up image, authenticating the player.
As just described, in the case of introducing a system of reusing an IC card in place of coins or tokens and a PTS-like system, there is a need to mount a variety of units, such as a camera for identifying a player in addition to slots for IC cards, and it is envisioned that: there can arise a problem that a player is impeded in the play of a game, depending upon the layout of these units; or alternatively, there is a difficulty in picking up the face of the player in the play as an image while it is appropriately included in the frame of a screen display. Therefore, a thoughtful consideration is needed for mount positions of these units relative to gaming machines.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a player tracking apparatus and gaming machine and control method thereof, which is capable of providing various items of information to players in gaming machines allowing games to be played by employing IC cards in place of coins or tokens.